Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale in COPD 1: Not troubles by breathlessness except on strenuous exercise. 2: Short of breath when hurrying or walking up a slight hill. 3: Walks slower than contemporaries on the level because of breathlessness, or has to stop for breath when walking at own pace. 4: Stops for breath after about 100, or after a few minutes on the level.

Patients often ask when they can swim after a wound has been sutured. Despite such an apparently simple query, evidence supporting any answer seems to be lacking. Many patient information sites advise against swimming after the suturing of wounds1 but fail to provide evidence to support this recommendation. Advice is broad ranging and inconsistent.1 Current information ranges from waiting until the sutures are removed and the wound has healed1 to abstaining from swimming for six weeks postoperatively.2 Patients with external frame fixators are advised that it is permissible to swim in a chlorinated pool or clean sea water, although in practice this is difficult to ascertain and is far from an objective measure, once the pin sites have healed.3 Evidence to back up the advice is scarce.